


Confidences before 0:00

by from_theeast



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kidnapping, Killing, M/M, Organized Crime, hero!Jonghyun, trigger warrnings, villian!Minhyun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:07:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23093797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/from_theeast/pseuds/from_theeast
Summary: Confidences before 0:00 - a talk show that talks about love stories which are sealed by destiny. A show that attracted millions of viewers, had countless famed guests with the host making them spill their secrets as if it’s a game show.Though now, it’s a different story—especially with tonight’s guests.Hwang Minhyun and Kim Jonghyun—two famous people that came from an elite family.Will the viewers love them more for their secrets? Or will it scar them till their last breath?
Relationships: Hwang Minhyun & Kim Jonghyun | JR, Hwang Minhyun/Kim Jonghyun | JR, Kang Dongho | Baekho/Kim Jonghyun | JR
Comments: 26
Kudos: 41
Collections: Spring Blessings (Nu'est 8th Anniversary Fic Fest)





	1. The opening act

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt 20: jonghyun is a superhero while minhyun is the supervillain. simple enough, yes? except minhyun falls in love with jonghyun, but jonghyun already has a lover. so, minhyun loves causing chaos just so jonghyun would pay attention to him.

**_= The Friday show =_ **

It’s around eleven at night when the show begins. The recording has been moved from the studio to the rooftop of the highest skyscraper to catch the whole city view up in the air. From behind them, you can see a huge billboard with yellow  **_“UTOPIA”_ ** written on it, looking lonely on the classic blue background, illuminated directly by a neat line of white light. The weather is pleasing with the beauty of mid-autumn that would make people want to drive down on the street in their mini cars, have a leather jacket around their shoulder with the windows down, humming like a fool to any song on the radio.

“3...2...1. ACTION.”

And the sign  **“ON AIR”** turns red. 

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, Kwak Aron is back with the  **_‘Confidences before 0:00’_ ** show, where many love stories arranged by destiny will be discovered and told to please your Friday night!”

The make up makes the male emcee look sick. His skin is too pale, and the perfume which he is wearing makes his nose wrinkle. Aron clears his throat with a professional smile, he tries to make himself comfortable on the fluffy red couch. 

“Tonight we have very,  _ very _ special guests. Please welcome Mr. Hwang Minhyun and Mr. Kim Jonghyun!”

A round of big applause and hustle can be heard in the set. Usually, they will have real audiences, but now, they only have the crew, so the staff inserts a long fake sound of audiences’ reaction. 

The cameraman pans the camera towards the opposite side. On another red couch, Minhyun appears with a pageant smile, dressed in his favourite suit: a blue navy coat with vertical inlaid and silver details which makes him look like a charming knight wearing a shiny starry-night armour with his hair up showing his forehead.

“Tonight’s topic is about Mr. Hwang and Mr. Kim’s love story, one that has been piquing the public’s interest recently.”

Jonghyun immediately puts his signature ear-to-ear smile as soon as his name gets mentioned.  He can feel the intensity of Minhyun's gaze at him, with Minhyun’s eyes full of love, staring at him from his eyes down to his lips. Jonghyun knows by heart that Minhyun loves him the most when he smiles. The way his strong and cold features, his thick eyebrows and sharp jaw would melt into a soft and pure expression, especially his eyes that Minhyun always says resembles the sparkling starry night.

“How did you guys first meet, Mr. Hwang?”

"First summer of high school."

"Oh how?"

“Well, you know who I am, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course. You are very famous in the elite world, Mr. Hwang. A chaebol and a playboy.” Aron says sarcastically but Minhyun just shrugs his shoulders . 

“People usually have that idea on children who are from elite families like me. How we always hold ourselves high, how we behave with class, how we always keep to ourselves, spoiled brats with top class teachers honing us or something like that.” Minhyun pauses and smiles, "But the truth is, I’m not that different from any other normal child. And like some, I was bullied too. I met Jonghyun then, he became my one and only knight before he became everybody’s hero.”

  
**_= Their first meeting =_ **

_ It’s another cruel summer when Minhyun had to spend his time attending extra classes.  _

_ “If you wouldn’t get an A for chemistry, I would make sure to burn down every paper of your crappy mushy novels.” _

_ Minhyun at 15 didn’t like to risk his father’s wraths. A treasure could be defined in different shapes, but they both had a few in common: such as how happy it made you feel, how it cost a life for a slight touch, how it tackled your nightmare.  _

_ For a teenage Hwang Minhyun, he had two things to care about: his older sister and his books.  _

_ Busily grumbling about how his father could find those hidden books while walking on the hallway, he accidentally bumped into a group of “cool kids” and quickly murmured a sorry but the kids didn’t let him go easily like this. _

_ “Hey freak!” _

_ One of them shouted out, catching the attention of other students nearby. Minhyun knew he shouldn’t stop his steps but he couldn’t, slowly he turned back, hands holding the strap of his bag.  _

_ “Little freak, did your mother not teach you how to say sorry?” _

_ A boy stepped in front of him, shorter but bulkier than Minhyun, he grabbed his chin up, squeezed it deliberately.  _

_ “Right! You don’t have a mother!” _

_ The kids around laughed out loud like it was the best joke they had ever heard. Minhyun shut his eyes. He didn't want to see those cunning faces. It was not the first time and of course, far from the last. Funny thing was, he learned by heart what these little elves would say, how they would say it over and over again like an overused script without change and it made him sick. _

_ Do you guys know why he doesn’t have a mother? _

_ “Do you guys know why he doesn’t have a mother?” _

_ Because he was cultured in the lab. _

_ “Because he was cultured in the lab!” _

_ Like a broken record, they joked about why Minhyun was so lanky and weak as a kitten. They would pull his bag away and throw it on the ground to step on it, let their expensive shoes imprinted on the fabric of his bag. _

_ They would also call him names.  _ **“** **_An industrial radish”,_ ** _ nutritious looking on the outside, but feeble on the inside. Stunning as lies, just like the Hwang’s fortune, an empire of organic food industry, glamorous but rotten from the root. _

_ After torturing his bag, the group took an aggressive look on its owner. There’s a written law in this school: No mark should be left on the face. If you bully one and leave a mark—the victim's parents will know, and that will ruin your family’s reputation and affect the family business, and knowing that, the trifles pushed hard enough until the prey’s body stumbles and hits the wall. Another kick at the abdomen, another pull to his hair. All for the reason to show the prey who was the dominant one. As usual.  _

_ But that day was not usual. _

**_“Stop!”_ **

_ Minhyun peered from the floor and caught sight of a small figure standing right behind them. The figure was short and neat with a pair of big charismatic eyes. _

_ “Jo… Jonghyun! Hi.” _

_ Of course there was Kim Jonghyun, the only son of Commissioner Kim, the legal heir of the Kim family, who had the voice about political and social influences.  _

_ Kim Jonghyun just moved into their school two weeks ago. Minhyun wondered how Jonghyun's father had felt knowing that this school was full of violence the same as the one he moved his son out from.  _

_ “Out of my eyes please.” _

_ Minhyun smirked at the way the bunch of kids just left after hearing the polite order. Nobody wanted to mess with Kim Jonghyun, especially when the kid was just as honest as his father, a fearless and delightful heart. _

_ “Is this not the first time?” _

_ Jonghyun didn’t mean to ask, just from looking at the way Minhyun bear the situation, he had his own answer. Coming closer, Jonghyun bent down to help pick up Minhyun’s bag. Minhyun’s heart skipped a beat. And it wasn’t because of Jonghyun’s beautiful smile, but it’s the way their fingers brushed when Jonghyun handed it to him. The feeling of Jonghyun’s smooth fingertips against his ignited something in Minhyun’s body. It was a weird feeling, like a tingling feeling of electricity ran through him. _

_ Jonghyun reached out to pull strands of hair out of Minhyun’s face, ignoring the awkward silence hanging between them.  _

_ “It depends on the atopy and immune system. Not that I was cultured.” _

_ Finally Minhyun could speak up, more like babbled a bad joke. He immediately bit his lips. He felt so nerdy and even weirder saying that, especially after hearing giggles from the boy in front of him. _

_ “Okay, Professor Hwang! But I think walking in the sun and getting some vitamin D, along with exercising can help improve your strength. Trust me.” Jonghyun hid his smile behind the back of his hand, l before walking away, leaving Minhyun alone in the hallway. _

_ “Jonghyun!” _

_ “Huh?” Jonghyun hummed hearing Minhyun’s voice calling him. He turned back to see Minhyun still standing there, fidgeting and not knowing what to say to him, so he spoke up first. “I get it.” _

_ “You get it... You get what?” Minhyun was confused, his foxy eyes opened wide.  _

_ Such a cute kid, Jonghyun thought. _

_ “Anything you want to tell me, I get it.”  _

  
  



	2. Hwang

**_= The police station =_ **

Minki has never craved a hard punch to his face until his colleagues pulled him over and switched on the TV. It’s a late Friday night, he was supposed to be at home, lounging on the sofa while sipping some wine or be at some bar to find someone to share the night with. But here he is, staring at the TV, watching the most viewed talk show in town, with his furrowed eyebrows.

“What the hell is happening here? Since when they have been lovers?!”

No one at the police station answered him. 

Catching up with famous people’s private life is not one of his hobbies, but surely Minki is not old-fashioned enough not to know that Mr. Kim Jonghyun is in a relationship with Producer Kang Baekho. Minki was even there when the two first met. 

Minki looks around, and notices that no single person in his team that doesn’t have dark circles around their eyes, along with that, is their irritated stares—the result of having too much caffeine running in their system. Minki doesn’t need to look in the mirror, he’s sure that he doesn’t look any better.

The Utopia Police Department -  _ UPD _ , for short, has been involved in the Anti-corruption and criminality campaign for the last three months since the city is ready to appoint a new commissioner, after two years of political crisis. The campaign is just a show due to the election, but the crime prevention teams such as  _ UPD, FDA _ and _ MCU _ have seen it as an opportunity to clean up the city, bring back the order to deserve it’s honorary name,  _ UTOPIA. _

Things were easier said than done, though. They always seemed to be led to a wild goose chase or either be three steps slower even when the evidence is right there in their hands. Those who helped them by snitching or aiding them were either would be killed or they would suddenly disappear. The whole situation seemed never ending, that is until a month ago.

A month ago, Prosecutor Yoon, one of the participants in the election, was reported to be missing after leaving his office. In the middle of this stressful situation, the PD got a terrifying call from a restaurant owner to report about a horrific crime that had just happened. They immediately rushed to the crime scene, but were only able to collect whatever or  _ whoever _ that was left after being cooked as the restaurant’s main dish. 

Based on the medical history after collecting ating data, the forensic team showed that there were two dead bodies. One of which, was their missing prosecutor, and the other one, was a famous surgeon. And one more thing, the killer had thrown the victims organ away in the garbage behind the restaurant and the prosecutor’s heart was nowhere to be found. 

Journalists jumped in, clawed and teared up what they found by breaking the news to the public and announcing this atrocity that was considered nothing more than a challenge action to the law. And even though Detective Choi still ordered the team to search for the prosecutor's heart in the black market and deep web, nothing has shown up yet. 

The FDA sent them some documents showing that Hwang Corporation Group may be the one behind this case a few days ago. The CCTV inside the restaurant was broken, but the one outside the parking lot caught a license plate of a black Toyota, which was owned by one of Hwang Minhyun’s subordinates.

Talking about the Hwang Corporation Group, honestly, Minki wouldn’t be surprised if they are really behind all of this. The FMCG is a competitive market, especially Organic food industry. To be on top of that like they are now, the Hwang company must be involved in a lot of illegal activities. 

Thinking of this, Detective Choi re-reads what the FDA gave him again. He knows that despite owning huge wealth, the Hwang members’ lives are quite miserable.

It all began when the oldest child of the family, Hwang Sujin passed away because of the fire. They called the tragedy "The Magnificent Flower on fire", which caused the sudden decrease of the growth of the business. Their stock price plunged down like a waterfall, even just during a short time and Hwang seized the opportunity to invest in a fund for the homeless because of the fire, the company still got harmed a lot. 

Two years later, father Hwang followed his daughter to the grave, leaving his young son, Hwang Minhyun behind. At that time, the company was franchised and run by the shareholders. They promised to let Hwang Minhyun keep the mansion and some private legacy with a big subsidy per month if he stepped down from his position. Of course, Hwang Minhyun agreed, he was too young to carry the company and seemed like he didn’t have any interest in it either. But Minki thinks it’s due to the fact that Minhyun has no choice. If Minhyun wants to live longer, then he should give up his position.

And Hwang Minhyun. Yes, the Hwang Minhyun, who’s known for his image of a player who knows how to play very well. He has many incomprehensible expenses, but the FDA believes that these are all cover of his continual illegal activities such as money laundry, im-export of weapons, etc. 

After all, like they say, father, like son.

“Your file is here.”

A voice snaps Minki back from his thoughts. One of the officers hands him the latest file of the prosecutor’s background. Holding his breath, he hurriedly flips through prosecutor Yoon's past trials and background, hoping that his gut feeling is wrong this time.


	3. Like honey, sweet, a little selfish

_**= The Friday show =** _

Before moving to the next question, Aron takes a sip of water from his cup. His hands are trembling, whether it is cold or because of the anxiety, he doesn’t know. Tonight, he feels the lights are brighter than usual, making him feel dazzled. 

"If you could only use  _ ONE _ word to describe your partner, what would it be?"

"Psycho."

Jonghyun answers without a blink that makes Minhyun smack him gently in the hand. He makes a cute pouty face at Jonghyun with his eye bulging like an abandoned cat, but he quickly fixes his posture and smiles back at Aron.

"Well, it's  _ honey. _ "

"Ahhh, I see, so is Mr. Kim here super sweet when in love?"

" _ Selfish _ . I mean  _ selfish _ ."

_ It was a Monday morning, the sky was so beautiful for someone who just lost a sister.  _

_ Minhyun was quietly sitting on the bleachers, watching the school athletic team practicing with his earphones on, listening to random songs from his sister's mp3 player, the only thing that had survived after the fire burnt Sujin's room to the ground. _

_ "Hey…" _

_ A small pat on his shoulder snapped Minhyun back from his daydream. It was Jonghyun, all sweat in his sports uniform, huffing and trying to catch his breath. He pulled out one of Minhyun's earphones, his fingertips brushing Minhyun's ears. _

_ "Can I sit here?" _

_ Minhyun nodded and Jonghyun sat down right next to him. There was a small space between them, but Minhyun could still feel the heat of Jonghyun lingering around.  _

_ "I’m sorry for your loss." _

_ Jonghyun broke the silence between them. _

_ "Did your father make you talk to me? You don't have to. Don't say things that you don't mean." Minhyun nonchalantly said. In his right ear, the playlist started to play Kehlani's song, it was Sujin's most favourite.  _

_ "I only say things that I mean, Minhyun." _

_ Jonghyun fixed his gaze at Minhyun's face, a hurtlook passed by his face before it quickly vanished. Jonghyun turned away and started to search for something in his pocket. He took out a pack of gummy bears and tore it, taking one jelly, before putting everything in Minhyun's hand. Heeven nudged Minhyun's shoulder to signal him to join, and that made Minhyun paused for a moment. They ate in silence, letting the far away noise of the athletic team fill the air. _

_ "I'm afraid." _

_ Jonghyun almost missed Minhyun's whisper. When he turned to look at him, Minhyun looked like nothing more than a man on a wire with his feet rocking back and forth on the tightrope, ready to fall to the ground.  _

_ "You know, sometimes a person can not accompany us all the way to the end, but doesn't mean we have to go alone all our life. Every path ahead, there will definitely be someone who’ll arrive and accompany us.So don't be afraid of loneliness." _

_ Jonghyun's words grabbed Minhyun from the deep sea of his thoughts and pulled him out, his clenched lungs were suddenly filled with oxygen that made him gasp in silence. Minhyun turned his head to Jonghyun and their eyes met. At that moment, time seemed to slow down. Nothing mattered more than Jonghyun's beautiful eyes. Ii was not about the shape or colors, but the warmth and honesty, it swallowed Minhyun like the way black hole swallowed the light. Minhyun shut his eyes, in the darkness of himself as Kehlani's voice softly sang about how love and humans should be like honey, Minhyun truly deeply madly felt it. _

__

"Because anytime when I have to put honey in my dish, everything tastes like honey, just as whenever Jonghyun appears around, everything I can see is only him. So honey is Jonghyun and Jonghyun is honey.  _ Sweet, and a little selfish _ ."


	4. The White Knight & the wolf's heart

**= The Friday show =**

“So next question for Mr. Kim. What is your most memorable Valentine present?”The MC rests one arm on the table, reading out loud the script card. 

“A heart.”

“Oh sweet! Like a heart of roses or made of chocolate?” 

“A human heart. Fresh and still beating.”Jonghyun’s answer is short and sharp, it tears the atmosphere apart, successfully makes the crew turn to him with a curious look. Next to him, Minhyun giggles shyly. 

“Honestly it was hard to prepare. It took me a month to plan and work it out. It took a lot of steps, from finding a top knife to kidnapping, then surgery and preserving it. But the hardest part was cleaning up everything, but thank God I'm good at cleaning up.” Minhyun smiled and turned to Jonghyun, 

“After all, I’ll do anything for my Honey.” Minhyun sniffs a little, his face lights up a beam of expectation, like a child waiting to be complimented.

“I bet you still keep it safe, right?”

“Of course.”

Jonghyun reaches out to caress Minhyun’s cheeks, the whisper comes out as empty as his gaze.

**\----**

_ Blood was everywhere.  _

_ On the ground, on the hilt of the knife, on the doctor’s chest. _

_ Minhyun didn’t mean to pull the trigger, but the doctor kept on whining throughout the process about how sorry he felt, and even prayed like a pious sheep. But the thing was, he didn’t act like that when hearing how much he could have if he took this job. There was hot red liquid on the transparent plastic curtain, too. It’s from the dead body of the city’s prosecutor on the double-table with his widely open chest. The kitchen’s condition, well, is 100 percent far from the medical surgery room, it’s too hot here and not that clean, not to mention how the room is dingly lit light condition or temperature. Minhyun could bear the cramped space but the smell… it smelled like those cheap fast food restaurants, complete with the too greasy odor that he felt everything around him was so sticky and made his skin itch. _

_ He snapped and wagged his fingers, signaling his subordinates to handle the rest. _

_ “Show me how creative you are, Chef." _

_ Leaving by the backdoor as the way he came in, he whistled to a random melody, fixed his white suit, carefully checked any mark left then came back inside by the main door. A waitress greeted him with a curious smile, not everyday this kind of average restaurant which only served simple cheap meat and drinks welcomed a luxurious guest. _

_ “How can I help you, sir?” _

_ He looked around to see a few hot dishes being served, clicking tongue boringly then paid with a significant number on a cheque. _

_ “Just coffee, please.”  _

_ Finishing it in one shot, he was all smiley leaving with a portable organ perfusion. Imagine how the people here would review about the quality of one of the best surgery doctors and the prosecutor’s flesh.  _

  
  



	5. The White Knight

**= The Police station =**

Watching from the office, Detective Choi feels his blood turns ice. 

In Minki’s memories, the Kim family also went through a tragic life. A sudden car accident took away the head of the Kim family along his wife, leaving their only child behind. It caused a public shudder even more when the one who caused this case was a chauffeur of Prosecutor Yoon. The chauffeur was reported being drunk while driving on the way to pick up the prosecutor from the theater, but instead of stepping on the brake to park the car, he stepped on the accelerator. The chauffeur was put on trial and was convicted of 7 years behind bars, but no longer after that he was found dead - killed in a prison fight.

Minki has attended a few funerals before, from natural death to dying of illness and it will never ever get easier every time. His heart still aches thinking about Jonghyun’s parents being one of them. Commissioner Kim was a good example for not only his son, but also the city, with his honesty and braveness. He fought fearlessly against injustice and poverty, never forgot to bring home flowers for his wife and a bedtime story for his son. 

_ It’s a cloudy day in the chapel in his memories. The grey sky mingled with the black shade of the attendants clothes. At that time, Minki just started his career in the police station, a two-year rookie with a compassionate heart. He looked around and noticed that a lot of attendees are ordinary people to famous ones. Indeed, Kim was loved a lot by the city. Minki exhaled when he saw Kim's only son, his standing still figure reminded him of the tree buckling in the storm. Kim Jonghyun shook hands and talked around, concealed his hurtful soul carefully under the soft raspy tone of his voice but his glazed eyes betrayed him. The city prosecutor approached and hugged him tight. _

_ “I owe you and your family my heart, Jonghyun.” _

_ The prosecutor said, gripping Jonghyun’s shoulder but the young man just shook his head. Minki and Jonghyun accidentally exchanged looks and his expression showed an indescribable feeling.  _

Minki can not remember clearly that Hwang Minhyun was there or not, but the things the prosecutor owed in the past are now paid. 

“Send a team to ransack the Kim house. Now.” Detective Choi orders. 

“Are… are you sure? Do we need a warrant to do this?”

Minki understands the delay in his colleague’s action, especially with the sunken expression on his face. He reaches out to his colleague and gives him a pat on the back.

Talking about Kim Jonghyun, you can obviously see the difference of him from Hwang Minhyun.

How Jonghyun decided to inherit his father's idealism. How he raised funds and focused on the education system, just like his father; and how he always believes the core of a good generation comes from education.

Kim Jonghyun also uses a big portion of his wealth to support police officers' living standard. The people call him their super hero without a mask,  **_their White Knight_ ** , but now, that knight has just admitted that he is keeping a human heart at home .

“I’m not sure, but just go.”

Sometimes it’s easier to live in a world that you don’t understand deeply or be able to do much. But his job demands the truth with it’s game of  _ Hide and Seek _ , so Minki has no other choice but to be the seeker, searching layers through layers, like peeling an onion even though it makes him cry. 

Minki folds and unfolds the document in his hands over and over again, rubbing his face after stringing the details together, waiting for his colleague to call him back.

"I'm listening." Minki picks the phone up before it even can finish the first ring. There is silence before his colleague speaks on the other end of the line.

“The heart, we found it in the basement, on the left side of the house. And one more thing, we found a lot of cameras in this house, like every single corner has one. Even in his bedroom, there's one attached behind the Starry Night Painting of Van Gogh, right in front of his bed…"

"And…" Minki can sense the other detective's hesitation. "The cameras are not Jonghyun's. The IT team will report it after finishing tracking the IP, but I’m sure you already know who it is."

"I see. Anything else?"

"Sir. I… I think Mr. Kim knows."

"What do you mean…?"

"The cameras are attached obviously. There's no way he doesn't know he is being watched!"

Minki closes his eyes, frowning while trying to analyze the information. He feels like being on an abandoned boat, floating in the middle of the dark ocean, then a clicking sound pops up in his mind just as the sound of the wagging fishtail breaks the tranquility.

"Search carefully in his working area, his reading room or somewhere like that."

"What are we looking for?"

"He must collect the information of Prosecutor Yoon, he might know something. We both knew Yoon was not clean, he covered the illegal stock transfer for the Hwang company and how fearlessly Commissioner Kim objected to this."

"You mean, our prosecutor was involved in Kim’s parents' death, sir…?"

Minki doesn't really need to answer the question. After stringing all the clues, he believes this isn’t a coincidence. First was the death of Kim’s parents by the prosecutor's chauffeur, second was the death of the chauffeur, then the missing case of the prosecutor and his heart. Now they know Jonghyun has it as a gift from Minhyun in the name of love. 

"Sir, you're right. We found a few documents tracking Yoon's activities in Jonghyun's drawer and an analysis board hidden behind his bookshelf.”

“And one more thing, I just received a call, Kang Baekho is reported to have been missing for the last 48 hours."

Minki feels exhausted. 

The hardest part of facing the truth is it’s attraction. Some truths are very charming, and cost a lifetime and sometimes, even more; but some truths too are so disgusting that it makes you throw up with even just a slice of it. So everyday, Minki prays hard to pull a charming one, but today the Angel of Luck stops bestowing him. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. The magnificent flower on fire

_**= The Police station =** _

Hwang Sujin is having the time of her life enjoying a glass of red wine as she watches a top rated show, a hobby that she has had recently. It’s hard for her to fall in love so she finds it interesting how people can fall for each other so easily. 

The only thing that she didn’t expect is to see his little brother here and even though she always sees him in newspapers or in the internet with articles about his dissipated life, she never expected him to be on a talk show that talks about love, especially looking so gorgeous but in a very untamed way. 

The next thing she knows, she’s already changing her clothes and driving towards The Metro Homicide Headquarters.

It’s not a surprise when a female officer cursed out loud after hearing her introduced herself, it’s really not surprising, after all, she was supposed to be a handful of ashes ten years ago. **“** ** _The magnificent flower on fire”_** as they say. A title that is still pinned on her wall as a reminder of the past. With a sigh, she makes her way to find Detective Choi.

Minki thinks he must have gone insane, but the fact that everyone is staring at the woman standing by the doorway shows that clarity is still with him.

They let her sit at the table in his office and people who are not involved are ordered to wait outside to let them have privacy.

“Good evening, detective. My name is Hwang Sujin, his older sister.” She tilts her head at the picture of Hwang Minhyun pinned on the behavior analysis board. Their features are similar, especially the pair of foxy eyes.

“We will need your sample to test. Just to complete the procedure, if you don’t mind.” The detective closes the door behind them and places a pair of cups on the table. Coffee for him and water for the young woman. “Does he know that you’re still alive?”

“Of course.” Her lips curves into a soft smile.

It was just like yesterday when the flame angrily licked every corner of her room. From the white curtain to the bed made from oak. She held her clutch close to her chest, bent down to find a way along the wall to the exit. The fire roared when the door flung open, revealing her brother’s feature, her thin and smoky angel. __

“But how... How could two high school kids do all of this?”

“You didn’t live in our world, detective. Kids like us do not only go to school and back home, math is not the only thing we’re struggling with.”

“I know a little. About arranged marriage, money lau-"

“Oh darling! You wish.” Sujin interrupts, playing with her necklace. Her voice is shaky due to laughter thinking about all the fancy parties she used to attend when she was younger. Which makeup and perfume suited specific events, diamond jewelry and fancy clothes, smiles that would shame the most expensive silver and gold, cried out pearls. She was always the most beautiful goddess among the goddesses.

\----- 

_ Sujin was alone on the balcony of one random room in the private luxurious mansion, her yellow dress dancing in the muffle of the wind as she lit up a cigarette. Hissing a long breath, the taste of nicotine quickly spread throughout her body and when she exhaled, a thin smoke embraced her face tenderly, as if it was coaxing and asking her to vanish together.  _

_ “You are not allowed to smoke.” _

_ Minhyun’s voice suddenly cut through the thin air, he walked in the room and joined her on the balcony. Her brother looked like he was just crawling back from the grave, pale and trembling, so Sujin ignored his warning, continually exhaling another long long breath.  _

_ “Want to be hung up?” _

_ Minhyun leaned his back on the balcony, and tilted his head back. _

_ “Not the first time.” _

_ Sujin answered with her half-lidded eyes, letting his brother take the cigarette away. Minhyun took a puff then coughed his lungs out, frustratedly threw and stepped on it as she giggled.  _

_ “How is the auction there?” _

_ “I cost a representative office in the East.” _

_ Sujin laughed, shaking her head. The sweet aroma emanated from her silky, meticulously curled hair.  _

_ “Then I should cost a branch so we can survive until the next quarter.” _

_ She teased her brother. _

_ “Here you are!” _

_ A small groan snapped them back to reality. Their butler stood at the door with one hand on the door throb, frowning at both.  _

_ “The show must go on.”  _

_ Sujin flew a kiss to her brother, ready to follow the old grumbling man but Minhyun held her wrist. He reached out to fix her hair and necklace neatly before letting her go.  _

_ “Go to hell, Sujin.” _

_ Her laughs died on her face, Minhyun was staring at her with an unreadable expression, the thoughts dancing in his eyes is like the car light lurking in the mist. _

_ The butler was losing his patience, he almost pulled her away from Minhyun then dragged her on the hallway to the conference room.  _

_ “You smoked? You’d better cost more than a stupid office like your useless brother you little nasty brat!” _

_ The flesh where his hand was clenching turned red and it hurt but Sujin didn’t care that much. Her dress and jewelry bounced with every hurried step she took, just as the exciting beat of her heart when she heard Minhyun called softly to her. _

_ “Let’s go to hell together, my dear!”  _

**_\-----_ **

“Have you ever attended your own funeral?”

Minki shakes his head, frozen at the moment but internally screaming. He can’t imagine how the teenage children should feel in that conference room with all hungry eyes on them, how they should act after hearing their final price was announced before the pounding sound of a transaction ending, how they faced their parents, who would sell their kids as a bargain and how could they even sleep at night? Did they even sleep?

“It was an unforgettable experience. You would see many friends that you had never met before.  _ ‘I’m so sorry for your loss, she’s a good soul.’ _ but then, ‘ _ Can we talk in your office about the next franchise? I think we can use her name as the label, you know, for good reputation’ _ they would continue.”

Minki passes her a pack of cigars but Sujin refuses, instead she drains the glass of water on the table. 

“What happened next after you left your brother behind?”

“You don’t understand, do you? Nobody was left behind.”

She sighs, a regretful expression quickly spreads out to her eyebrows but not for Minhyun, Minki is sure.

“I should be there to witness it with my own eyes, but watching through a video is still somehow satisfying.”

_ That morning she was woken up by loud knocks on the door as the bell rang non stop. A package was sent to her anonymously, but Sujin knew who it was from just by the designs. Inside was a usb with a handwritten card  _ **_“the show must go on.”_ ** _ no sign or name. She brought the card close to her face to smell, smiling at the familiar scent then plugged in the usb.  _

_ The video was quite dark but it was easy to point out that it’s their father’s room. She had been there multiple times before her little brother replaced her. Minhyun was cuffed in the bed, naked and angry. She didn’t have to look closer to know how puffy his eyes and cheeks were. He was struggling to escape but it only flicked a fire in their father. As expected, the hunting instinct was raised in the man’s heart, he jumped in the bed to press his large body on Minhyun, hands started to wander. _

_ “You did great my son, our clients love you so much as I love you. You must be tired after serving on your sister’s part. But what can I do? She is gone and the partnership has to be maintained.” _

_ He dropped kisses after kisses from the abdomen to the younger’s neck, and stopped at the face. Just waiting for that, Minhyun’s gaze was as cold as ice when biting down right exactly on their father’s cheek till it bleeded. He growled like a hurting beast, slapped his son while holding the wound. The sound was sharp as a knife and it cut through Sujin’s heart but she kept her breath firmly.  _

_ “You son of a bitch!” _

_ Minhyun ignored his swollen cheek and teary eyes, he twisted his right hand and the cuff opened. Ah... Sujin happily smiled, he found out the copy key she had hidden and her smile spreaded wilder when she saw a shiny silver knife was rising up high on Minhyun’s hand. Without any word, he split it expertly at the old man’s throat, blood splashing all over her brother’s face and spilling out on the bed sheet. Their father muffled his last sound like a fish trying to breathe on the ground, eyes rolling back and after a minute the only sound she could hear was Minhyun’s breath. Her brother looked directly at the camera before starting to clean up.  _

_ The video stopped right there, Sujin blew a kiss at the screen before closing it. She stood up to search for the yellow dress in the past. Wearing it and now leaning back on the balcony of her penthouse, she dreamed about how their last celebration would look like and then never showed up at their face again. _

_ “Welcome to hell, Father.” _

_ Sujin lit up a cigarette and enjoyed it as it burnt on her fingers. _

**_\-----_ **

Minki licks his lips then stands up, laughing out driedly, he does not know what will escape from Pandora's box next. The elegant woman right before him looks calm like the stillness before the storm. 

"So it's all lies after all this time. This is the reason why Father Hwang was announced dead by a sudden heart attack and the burial happened privately?"

Sujin nods in agreement, playing with her necklace again.

"Now you know everything, detective. I can testify in court if you want and I don't need any witness protection program."

"And your condition is?"

"Sentence reduction for my Minhyun, I don't need acquittal. But first, I want to talk to him."

Minki stares at her speechlessly. These siblings… He sighs.

“Anyone here please help me to connect to the show. Sujin ssi here wants to talk to her brother.”


	7. The climactic scenario

**_= The Police station =_ **

“We have tracked Kang Baekho, sir.”

An officer shows Minki the tracking data on her laptop. The CCTV around the city shows that the last time he was still being recorded is when he was at the airport then being attacked by a group of gangsters. Minki recognized one of them as Minhyun’s subordinate.

“Have we connected to the show yet?”

“Right now, sir. In 10, 9, 8-”

“Sujin-sii,” Minki kneels down to keep himself face to face with the woman sitting on the chair. “Your brother has Kang Baekho, Kim Jonghyun’s lover. We can lessen Hwang Minhyun’s crime if Kang Baekho is still alive. You have my words now, so can I count on you?”

It’s not his fault to sound so desperate. Just by looking at all the secrets that have been spilled, it shows how insane Minhyun is and even more when he’s in love. Minki doesn’t dare to imagine what Minhyun can do to win in this love game.

“I’ll try my best.” and Sujin sounds as desperate as he does.

_ 3,2,1. _

Sujin catches Aron’s surprised face when the staff shows him a ringing cell phone. The emcee is sure it’s not a part of the show, especially when he sees the confusion on Minhyun’s face.

“It must be a viewer who can’t wait till the Q&A.”

They’re still on air so Aron asks him to pick up. He waits until the third bell finishes then presses the speakerphone. 

“How do you do Minhyunie?”

Minhyun is surprised at the voice for a moment then happily dashes a look at the camera. _It’s my_ _sister_ , he mouths. 

“Sujin! How are you my dear?”

“Very good. I still dream about our party years ago, still vivid and overwhelming as if it was just yesterday.”

On the other end of the phone line, Sujin’s face is not as exciting as her chirping voice. 

“Sujin my dear! Welcome back to life!”

On the TV, her brother’s face lights up. It reminds Sujin of the past when they were still side by side. The way Minhyun calls her name is still sweet, like the younger version of him in her memories.

“Min-Minhyunie.” Her voice chokes even she doesn’t want to. In her eyes, her brother looks like a nightmare dressed like a daydream.

“Yes, I’m here. I am thinking of you, I want to introduce you to my Honey here. Jonghyun, please say hi!” 

“I’m sorry but I don’t have much time. Tell me Minhyunie, are you keeping Baekho with you?” Sujin interrupts, holding her breaths.

The light of joy drops out of his face, he sighs and complains about where is the lovely greeting. Minhyun directs the camera to take a close shot at the left corner of the rooftop. Just right at the edge of the skyscraper, there’s a man who is tied to a chair with his head covered in black hood.    
  


“Zoom in, zoom in. He’s here, still alive.” Minhyun says happily. Different from him, Jonghyun clenches his fists tight, trying not to show any tremor but it doesn’t work. 

“Minnhyunie, it’s not how you love somebody.” Sujin squeezes the phone, her hand starts getting sweaty at how unsteady the chair that Baekho is tied on is, it can fall back behind any time. “Love means working through the difficulty together even wh-”

“-when it’s impossible to overcome. I know, I know!” Minhyun finishes the sentence. That’s one of his favourite sentences in one of his books. 

“Honey, tell them, how I lull you to sleep, how I fought back your bad dream. Tell them Jonghyunie, let them know how safe you feel at night with me watching you, protecting you. Tell them!” Minhyun rushes to Jonghyun with his pouty face and round eyes. He reaches out to hold Jonghyun's hand, using his index finger to brush the back of his hand. Jonghyun is dumbfounded at Minhyun’s words.

_ It’s almost 2 a.m that Jonghyun woke up by the ringing sound. It was strange since it wasn't his cellphone but the telephone in the lobby ringing, usually around this time, people would feel creepy but he got used to it. He was thankful for it. Escaping Baekho's embrace, Jonghyun slipped through the door, tiptoeing to the lobby to pick up the call. No one answered on the end of the line, but his breaths echoed softly. He held it for a little while, took time to calm the waves in his heart down before hanging up and going back to bed, covering himself in his lover's arms.  _

_ Even how warm the embrace was, it still couldn't defeat the nightmare in the night. Always the same scene, everything was painted in blue, white and black, he was running as fast as he could on the road outside the theater, screaming his parents' name,  _ **_"Move out Mom and Dad. MOVE!"_ ** _ but no one seemed to care and he saw it was coming, the flashing lights of the black car painted his parents in the band of white that made him dizzy. And just right after the moment he started to collapse in his own dream, there was a call that wouldn't stop until he got up sweatily and picked it up.  _

_ He curled up and tried to sleep back again, did not forget to take a look at the painting on the wall, Starry Night by Van Gogh in front of his bed, like a confirmation for his guardian angel that the frightened feeling was over then. _

“You did nothing but kidnap my boyfriend and force me to join this show, what a phenomenal love to get through!” Jonghyun speaks up coldly. His answer seemed to piss Minhyun off, his eyes turning as dark as the night. Minhyun suddenly stands up from the couch, walking slowly to Baekho’s position. He pulls out the hood to show the bruised face of Baekho, a half of his face is bleeding, Baekho seems to be in pain and not sober. 

“So how to love you right, Jonghyun? Like the way he loves you? Hanging out on the weekend with a random drive? Or home cooking? That’s it? That’s how you want it? A boring love?”

Just by watching through the scene Minki guesses Kang Baekho was injected with morphine. Detective Choi gives a signal to Sujin to buy more time for him to take an act. Minki decides to appoint a S.W.A.T team to attack in the air with his order. On the order hand, a helicopter is sent to rescue the hostage. It’s almost midnight and the show is coming to an end. There’s enough for the world to witness and enough for Minki to know. He sees Jonghyun is trying to hide his tremor, just like the way he hid it at his parent’s funeral. 

“Tell me, my Honey. If what I did is wrong, then teach me how to do it right.” Minhyun repeats his request nonchalantly. Instead of looking at Jonghyun’s eyes, he observes Baekho, pulling Baekho’s hair back and swiping the blood out of his face with his bare hand, only to make Baekho’s face messier.

"When you love someone so much, you have to let them go." Jonghyun whispers softly. “ _ Let them go.  _ Their memories should be kept as a good memory, not to live in.”

The words seem to hit Minhyun hard. He stands still, staring at Jonghyun's face in an unreadable expression, the wind blows his hair up in all ways. There’s a silent moment which felt endless. 

"You're right, Jonghyun, you're absolutely right.” Minhyun speaks up. “It's time for you to let him go." And Minhyun pushes. 

“NOOOO!”

Sujin closes her eyes. The negotiation is a mistake. For a moment, there's only Jonghyun's scream echoing in the air, no barking siren, no sound from the propeller. The scream is short and sharp, cut through every single person's heart. The world collapses and Jonghyun is the only one who survives. Terrified, empty, then painful. It was broken into a million pieces with pain and agony stuck to his throat. Every next word is meaningless and only a muffle sound can be heard. 

When Sujin dares to open her eyes again, Jonghyun is in Minhyun’s arms, they look like they are dancing under the night sky, their music is the screams and shouts. They sway, left, right, right, left, throwing punches and kicking each other with the spotlight from the helicopter following every step they make. 

“The view is unclear, sir!” The snipper speaks through the radio.

“Hold tight! You are allowed to shoot when it’s time.” Minki’s order makes Sujin hold her breath. Sujin looks at the way Minhyun holds Jonghyun tight, he is laughing so hard that he can’t even breathe properly. Spinning and spinning, as if dancing is their only choice. His ears are filled with Jonghyun’s curse, sobbed and broken. 

“Honey, oh my ,can you feel it? How magnetic the moonlight is that keeps pulling us to each other!”

Jonghyun shakes his head, pushing Minhyun away as though he was too terrified to be near. Jonghyun struggles to escape from Minhyun’s arm, the embrace is like the fragrant of Eden making him feel dizzy. Minhyun pulls Jonghyun’s hip close to his, pulling him until their lips brush against each other. Then Minhyun kissed him. The kiss is hush and rough, it tasted like betrayal but at the same time, wonderful like a forbidden fruit and that idea frightens Jonghyun. He lugs himself out of Minhyun and puts all his strength to shove him away. He punches Minhyun in the face and the other man reels so Jonghyun takes a chance for another push until Minhyun is right of the edge of the building. Minhyun tries to cling to Jonghyun’s wrist but only their fingers brush against each other and in a blink of an eye, he falls.

Sujin watches as her brother falls into the cold air. Arms outstretched just like how Icarus lost his wings and fell into the sea as he drowned in the dark. His sparkling suit makes him become a falling star, flashing for a moment and vanishing out of Sujin’s sight. Tears cover her whole face and she lets it be. 

Sujin’s brother was never borned for common things. When he was 11, he bursted to her room and wouldn’t stop telling her that he saw an alien. That alien wanted him to go with it and Minhyun wanted Sujin to come with him. When he grew older, Minhyun loved to imagine about parallel universes, how there’s another Sujin and Minhyun but living a normal life or they could be vampire siblings who had been living for 300 years, getting through all the crimes, or how in the previous life, he must be Icarus and Kim Jonghyun was the sun, That now matter what happens to him, he can’t help but stop himself getting close to Jonghyun, bask himself in his sunshine, even if it means that by doing so, death will welcome him.   
  


  


  
  
  
  
  



	8. The epilogue

_**= 2 years later =** _

In the last two years, a lot of money was spent for the public relations to cool down the shocking event and to prevent the copy-cat behavior. It took a lot of effort from the government to rebuild the order in the city. Sujin agreed to testify in court. Her reappearance and testimony was a big hit in public. Things have not stopped there, the whole viewers still hadn’t been over the shock yet to know that the police discovered that Baekho was not dead and the one who was being pushed was just one of Minhyun’s subordinates. The real Kang Baekho was tied and fainted in one of Minhyun’s private houses in the countryside. Minki has used his power to put pressure on the media to help Jonghyun and Baekho stay away from all curious eyes. People's lives will never be the same again, especially Jonghyun's.

Jonghyun starts to dream a different dream. In that dream, he is dancing with a devil in a castle. In the dim lit lounge, right hand in left hand, their other hand, on the shoulder and the waist, time slowly rode on the music note. The devil's face is always hidden in the dark but Jonghyun can feel the passionate gaze on him. And the scent, the scent from the devil is strong like breathing in the garden of Eden in spring, mysterious and charming in a sinful way. Then suddenly the scenario changes, he is dancing under the moonlight, in the middle of the incoming storm as the wind roars unstoppably. The moonlight follows his step like a Super Trouper, back and front, left and right, swaying and then it stops, bending like a flower ready to bloom. Then he realized it is not the moonlight and the wind storm but the spotlight from the police's helicopter and the sound of the propeller. But the scenario keeps on changing and changing between two scenes, it makes him dizzy and suffocated until he finally wakes up, sweaty and feels like someone just dug a hole in his chest. 

Baekho used to drive him to many therapy sessions but the conversation between him and the therapist always died in between. He told them a lot of things with his heart on his sleeves but they said he said nothing and gave him medicine so he stopped coming.

Jonghyun doesn't take anything from the doctors and instead, he finds himself waiting for a phone call in the daybreak. Jonghyun spends most of his nights sleepless, either alone or in Baekho's embrace, doesn't dare to breath loudly as if it would conceal the familiar ringing sound from the lounge. He just lies on his bed, stares at the painting hanging on the wall until the morning comes. 

Today's weather is warmer than yesterday. Jonghyun isn't sure if the weather is getting better or is it because of the excitement in people's heart for White Valentine's Day that heats the air up a few degrees. 

Sitting on the couch with arms folded across his chest, he watches a random news show on the TV as he waits for his lover to get ready to head out. Baekho has reserved a table for two at the restaurant in town which is famous for its indie vibe and their best beefsteak that Baekho is so sure that he's gonna a lot. 

_ "This year, as you can see, the most trendy gift for White Valentine's Day will be anything but in a human heart form. Seems like many brands' idea was inspired from the events two years ago, which was considered as the most astonishing and terrifying scandal of both the entertainment and FMCG industry. You can send your image of your heart to the company and they will print it on the shirt or make a chocolate box or anything you want. As much as your gift is going viral, as successful as the brand is. So don't play with someone's heart, ladies and gentl-" _

“Gross!”

Baekho appears behind Jonghyun, he shuts the TV news down and throws the remote on the table hatefully. 

"Which one, Jonghyunie?"

Baekho shows Jonghyun a cravat in one hand and a bow tie in another, the cut of the black suit he is wearing curls his small waist and adds an extra beauty to his perfect proportion by showing off his large shoulder. Instead of choosing one, Jonghyun shakes his head, throws both of the things on the floor and unbuttons the two tops of the pattern shirt and flats Baekho's shoulder.

"Perfect."

Baekho gives him a grin back for the compliment with his brown eyes becoming two crescent moons. Jonghyun can't help but to reach out and caress his lover’s face softly.

The lovely atmosphere is interrupted by the sudden bell of the telephone. It startles Jonghyun and he holds his breath without knowing. 

“The restaurant just wants to confirm the reservation one last time.” Baekho announces, after hurriedly picking it up. He catches a slight discomfort on Jonghyun’s face. “Are you okay?” He holds Jonghyun's wrist and gives the palm a butterfly kiss and Jonghyun nods back.

“Just hungry.” Jonghyun lies, doesn’t care much about whether Baekho will realize it or not. He has lied so many times.

"Let's go." Hand in hand, they head out.

As they open the door, they find a milky white box with a huge tie in red on the ground, no name, no address. Jonghyun picks it up and shakes it a little, caressing the smooth surface before opening it. Inside is a pack of gummy bears which is already teared, the kind of cheap one but has the best berry taste according to him and he used to eat them a lot in high school, always having a pack of it in his pocket. 

There’s a small card inside "For My Honey Only" which smells like a flower garden. An idea splashes through his mind, Jonghyun feels an electricity running down his spine.  _ He knows this scent. _

"What's that?" Baekho frowns at the box but before he can pick the pack up, Jonghyun takes it out and gives Baekho one gummy bear, he also has one for himself and savours it.

"Just from a fan."

Baekho wants to ask more but decides to stop when Jonghyun reaches out to intertwine their hands, shoves the candy pack in his coat's pocket. Jonghyun squeezes their hands softly, tries to use the warmth of Baekho's palm to calm his shaking hand. On the way to the restaurant, he feels the hole in his chest start to be filled with a sinful excitement because now he knows there will be no longer sleepless nights, but holidays for Jonghyun to look forward to.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Dear my Prompter,  
> I know it's not what you think, but I hope this still satisfied your idea somehow and thank you for your best prompt!
> 
> Dear Sugar,  
> Thanks for all your patience and hard working!


End file.
